Melting A Tomboy's Heart
by Prom15e13elieve
Summary: What if Haruhi had a twin? Tomboy, cold, cocky, seen as a boy, Aoi is far from perfect, despite having hoards of fangirls. But what if one of the Hitachiin twins had an unexplainable attraction to her? Can he break down her cold barrier and get to her heart? Rated T just in case (I know I suck at summaries, but please read the story, it gets better ) Hikaru x OC
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 : The New Students**

"Oi, Hikaru! I heard that there's a new student coming today~" Kaoru sang. The said boy looked up and grinned.

"Hontoni?" Hikaru asked eagerly. Honey skipped over with Mori trailing him.

"I heard that there's two!" The twins grinned.

"Sounds like there's some new toys here!" Honey set his mouth in a firm line, however, and shook his head firmly, clutching onto Usa-chan.

"I heard that they're related! And one of them is─" Suddenly, Honey paled, staring at something behind the twins. However, the two red haired boys ignored this, staring impatiently at Honey for more information. But the blond haired Lolita just pointed at something behind their backs. Hikaru and Kaoru turned around rigidly, paling rapidly.

Kyoya was staring down at the twins, a pleasant yet frightening smile on his face.

"We are opening in 15 minutes. Make sure you are ready." The room immediately dropped 20 degrees as a frightening chill dropped over the 3 hosts. Mori, however, was poker faced as ever.

"H-Hai!"

* * *

Hikaru stared at the shatters of the vase scattered across the floor, broken by the foreign exchange student, Haruhi.

"That was the Renaissance vase that was to be featured in the school auction!" Kaoru complained.

"Now you've done it. We were going to auction that off for 8 million yen!" Hikaru said along with his twin. The brunette exchange student looked shell shocked, and paled at the sum.

"Wh-What?!" However, before the twins could say any more, the door flew open and another student stormed in before slamming the door shut, leaning against the doorframe while panting.

Hikaru studied the new person in the room. Obviously another commoner, judging from the clothes: a black hoodie and jeans, with the hood pulled low over the face. Obviously another boy.

The student straightened up from the door, just to be almost knocked down again by Tamaki.

"My! Another student?" The boy just sighed and shook Tamaki off before running over to Haruhi.

"Oi! Haruhi! You just leave me with all those fans?" He grumbled, but then his dark eyes widened as he took in all the broken shards scattered around Haruhi.

"What the hell happened?" Haruhi ducked his head sheepishly, fixing his glasses.

"Gomennesai…" Hikaru and Kaoru raised their eyebrows as the boy helped Haruhi up.

"Who are you?" Haruhi rubbed her arm.

"Well... Aoi is my…" Aoi sighed and removed the hood, revealing short-cropped brown hair and eyes equivalent to his hair.

His appearance matched Haruhi's perfectly, just without Haruhi's glasses.

All the hosts could only gape, but Tamaki beamed and set his hands on Aoi's shoulders.

"Twins?!" Aoi scowled and sidestepped, successfully brushing Tamaki off.

"Obviously." Tamaki immediately began to sulk, and the hosts immediately sighed. Haruhi stared at Tamaki, eye twitching.

"I-Is he always like that…?" Hikaru and Kaoru grinned and nodded, but then the flash of glasses caught the Fujioka twins' eyes. Kyoya gestured to the shatters of the Renaissance vase on the floor.

"This was supposed to be auctioned at 8 million yen. Honor exchange student Haruhi Fujioka broke this, and she must pay for it one way or another. But there is no way a commoner can pay for this, no?" Tamaki leapt to his feet, and pointed a finger at Haruhi.

"Have you ever heard of this saying, Fujioka kun? When in Rome, do as the Romans do! If you have no money, then you pay with your body!" Aoi's eye twitched.

"Oi! I am not letting you molest my twin!" Tamaki paled and waved his head frantically.

"No, that's not it!" Aoi huffed indignantly and crossed his arms.

"And I'm not about to let you make my twin pay for some vase as a dog for the host club! I'll take Haruhi's place!"

Kyoya fixed his glasses with a small smile at Aoi's words.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that to happen. But there is one option, sharing the load of the job." Haruhi looked frantically at Aoi, but Aoi just nodded briskly.

"Deal."

Tamaki, however, shook his head, and pointed at Aoi.

"No, Aoi kun seems to have enough looks to become a host!" Honey looked curiously at Haruhi.

"Then if they are twins, shouldn't Haru chan look just as nice without glasses?" In a flash, one of the twins ran over to Haruhi and pried her glasses off.

"Oi! Wait! I lost my contacts today so…." Haruhi's voice trailed off as Tamaki stared at the honor exchange students intently. Snapping his fingers, he called out without his blue eyes straying from the Fujioka twins once.

"Hikaru. Kaoru." The twins saluted.

"Yes sir!" And with that they grabbed onto both Aoi and Haruhi, running out of the room with Haruhi's yelling and Aoi's protests fading behind their trail. Tamaki glanced at Kyoya.

"Kyoya, call the hair designer." Kyoya nodded and typed in a number on his phone. Tamaki's gaze shifted to Mori. "Mori sempai. Go to the doctor's for more contact lenses." Mori ran off wordlessly, and Honey popped into Tamaki's view.

"Tama chan, what about me?"

"Honey sempai," Honey nodded eagerly.

"Yes?"

"Please have some cake."

Honey sulked over to a table with Usa chan, obeying Tamaki's order.

"You know what? Everybody said that they're too busy…"

"Here! Change into this!" Hikaru held up the Ouran boy's uniform up. Aoi backed up against the wall, eyes wide with bewilderment.

"Wh-What?" The ginger haired twins had dragged both Aoi and Haruhi to the changing rooms, and one of the twins had separated them into two changing rooms.

"Don't ask questions!" Hikaru started towards Aoi, but Aoi backed up even further.

"Alright, alright, I'll change! But you have to get out!" And with that, Hikaru was kicked out of the changing room, toppling into the hall by a dropkick from Aoi, and Kaoru flew out from Haruhi's changing room not a moment later. The two struggled to balance, and when they did, they looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Oh…"

* * *

"Uh…. Sempai?" Haruhi called out hesitantly. Tamaki immediately perked up.

"Well? Are you done changing?" There was some shuffling, and Haruhi emerged from her changing room, along with Aoi following soon after.

"Waaah~ You guys almost look like girls!" Aoi smirked and adjusted the tie of the uniform, while Haruhi just fidgeted nervously.

"From now, you are officially a member of the host club!"

* * *

"Aoi… Gomenesai…" Aoi blinked once and looked up from studying the textbook to stare questioningly at Haruhi.

"Why are you apologizing?" Haruhi shrugged.

"I..I got you into this mess just because I broke that vase…" Aoi grinned and laughed silently, making sure not to attract attention from the other hosts at the other side of the room.

"It's fine! And besides," Aoi smirked before leaning over to whisper to Haruhi.

"It's especially funny how they think we're boys."

* * *

**How is the first chapter? Review please? :3**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two:**

_I don't…. I don't know how to do this…._

Aoi's eye twitched as three girls smiled up at her. Next to her, she could see Haruhi having the same problem, smiling awkwardly.

"Haruhi kun, Aoi kun, are you two really twins?" One girl with brown hair chirped.

"You look so similar!" Another raven haired girl sang.

"I can't even tell you two apart!" A blush appeared onto the face of the third girl as she spoke. Seeing the blush, something sparked into Aoi's mind as her eyes widened, remembering the conversation from earlier.

_"You are able to pay off your debt once you manage to get 100 customers to request you." Kyoya said, an icy cold smile on his face. Aoi narrowed her eyes as Haruhi shivered from besides her._

_"Hai."_

_"Of course, you can always stay in the host club after your debt is paid. You are always welcome here, my boys~!" Tamaki sang from behind Kyoya._

Aoi stared at the customers in front of her.

_That's right… If I get 100 people to request me and Haruhi then I can get out of this debt…_

Something seemed to click within the Fujioka twins at the same time, and they both smiled at the girls unanimously; Haruhi's being natural yet bashful, while Aoi's held hints of cockiness.

"Princesses, then are you saying you can tell which one is which? I'm sure you all can get it correct." Aoi winked, and all three of the girls blushed. Haruhi followed suit, smiling at the three students.

"Then which princess shall go first?" Haruhi asked sweetly, extended a hand towards the girls, and they squealed in excitement. The girl with black hair tentatively raised a hand, and Aoi smiled at her.

"Have a guess, milady?" She blushed furiously before nodding shyly, pointing at Aoi.

"You're Haruhi, and he's Aoi." She prompted. Aoi struggled to hold in a sigh at the girl's words.

_Why… Why does this always happen?_

But nevertheless, Aoi grinned and nodded. "Right as ever, my princess."

The girls squealed, all love struck. Haruhi and Aoi exchanged looks and smiled with relief evident on their faces.

_Well this isn't too bad… _Aoi thought as she stared at the excited faces of the customers, an unconscious smile growing on her face. What she didn't know was that one ginger haired person was watching her carefully from a distance.

* * *

Hikaru stared at the textbook on his desk in obvious boredom.

_Why do I have to learn this? _He sighed and glanced over at his twin, who was slumped over the wooden desk, facing the other direction. Hikaru sighed once more and placed his chin on his fingers, letting his eyes wander across the classroom. He found his eyes straying over to Aoi's table, next to Haruhi's, and his golden eyes widened.

How had he known that he was looking at Aoi, not Haruhi?

Hikaru shook his head slightly, and returned to staring at the textbook.

_I think the boredom is getting to my brain…_

* * *

"Ja ne, Haruhi! Just don't be late, you know what will happen then!" Aoi called as she waved. Haruhi laughed once before waving back and disappearing behind the library door. Aoi sighed and slipped her thumbs into the pockets of her Ouran Acadamy uniform. However, before she could even start walking down thehall, several girls spotted her and waved excitedly.

"Kya! It's Aoi kun!" Aoi cursed under her breath before throwing a forced smile in the fan's direction.

"Gomenesai, I have to go to the Music Room now!" She called, quickly making a run for it. As Aoi ran, she heard the girls' calls from behind her.

"Haruhi, we'll request you today too~!" Multiple girl voices chirped. Aoi sighed a little, putting on more speed as she reached the massive staircase.

_How are Haruhi and I similar? _Aoi shook off her thoughts, clenching her jaw. _I guess you just can't tell with twins…_

She was so lost in her thoughts she almost missed the door of Music Room #3, and had to backtrack several steps before prying the pink door open.

Coughing as the rose petals flooded her vision, she waved her hand in front of her face and stumbled into…

A tropical paradise?!

Eye twitching, Aoi eyed her surroundings, but was voices soon jarred her out of her thoughts.

"Welcome."

Aoi turned rigidly to see all the hosts dressed in what seemed to be South Bohemian cosplay.

"Oh, it's only Aoi." Hikaru said, sighing, but Aoi's dark eyes widened.

_H-How did he know that it was me, not Haruhi?_

Thoughts swirled around Aoi's brain, but Kyoya's voice snapped her out of it.

"Where's Haruhi kun, then?" He asked, his voice void of emotion as he scribbled on his clipboard. Aoi had to let the question roll around her jumbled brain before finally answering.

"S-She should arrive any moment." She replied hesitantly. Tamaki raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you two always together?" He asked curiously. Aoi bit her lip, annoyance written on her face.

"We can be separated time to time…" She muttered. Tamaki beamed and outstretched a hand.

"Nevertheless, we need to get you into a suitable outfit!" Aoi glared at Tamaki.

"I prefer not to." She deadpanned. Tamaki immediately began sulking in a corner as the hosts watched with unreadable emotion on their faces. Excluding Kyoya and Mori, of course.

The door suddenly flew open, just as the clock's chime rang across the school, revealing an out of breath Haruhi. Aoi immediately ran to support her twin, and dragged her further into the room until they were both in front of the hosts.

"Oi, did you run all the way?" Aoi asked? Raising an eyebrow. Haruhi nodded.

"Yeah… I was almost─" Haruhi's sentence was cut short, however, when Tamaki suddenly pointed at Haruhi.

"Since Aoi won't get into a costume, it will have to be Haruhi instead!" And without skipping another beat, Haruhi was immediately snatched by the Hitachiin twins and on her way to the changing rooms, out of her twin's grasp.

"OI! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING WITH MY TWIN?!" Aoi yelled, running after Tamaki and the twins.

* * *

After futile attempts to talk Tamaki and the twins out of it, Aoi sat in the back of the gall where the changing rooms were, tapping her foot impatiently. Suddenly, Tamaki appeared carrying another pure white esemble, and started to open the door where Haruhi was.

Where she was changing.

Aoi's eyes widened, and she leapt to her feet, but it was too late.

Tamaki had seen.

* * *

**Haha~ Second chapter is up ^^ What do you think? I tried to follow some of the advice you guys gave me, so I hope this is better~ :DD please review and look forward to the next chapter (which will be up soon, I promise ^^)! :3**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

"Aoi, gomenesai!" Haruhi said for the umpteenth time, worry in her brown eyes. Aoi glanced sideways at her twin before giving her a wide smile before patting her head.

"Seriously, Haruhi. You apologized for the umpteenth time already. I already said that it's fine." Aoi shrugged, putting her hands behind her head. "At least you didn't backtrack to becoming their dog because you're a girl…" She said, before sighing.

"Stereotypes…" The Fujioka twins grumbled at the same time, before laughing.

"Well we're twins, what do you expect?" Aoi said, laughing. Haruhi giggled, and slapped Aoi over the head lightly.

"Come on, lets just go to the supermarket and get the groceries. We need to clean the house and do the laundry today, too." Haruhi said. Aoi grinned, but Haruhi's face held a curious expression.

"Neh, Aoi… Do they know that you're a girl?" She asked questioningly. Aoi's face darkened slightly at the question, but she shrugged.

"Why do I care about what those hosts know?" Aoi said, laughing, but it sounded forced to her twin's ears. Haruhi frowned slightly, but she knew better than to pry. She tried once─ the wall ended up getting a crack from a fit of Aoi's temper.

Haruhi shivered slightly at the thought, and Aoi glanced at her sideways, curious.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked. Haruhi gulped, forcing a cheerful smile.

"N-Nothing!" Haruhi exclaimed, waving both hands frantically, empathizing that there was absolutely nothing wrong. Aoi stared at her twin for a while, but shrugged and clasped her hands behind her head. She knew Haruhi was stubborn, and it would just waste a lot of time and energy to get any information out of her.

Haruhi exhaled, relieved. "L-Let's just go to the supermarket… We have a lot of chores to do at home anyway!"

* * *

"Oi… It's actually pretty big, isn't it?" Hikaru and Kaoru said, looking at the apartments in front of them. Honey danced around, holding Usa chan happily. Tamaki stared intently at the apartment, pacing.

"It isn't too shabby like in my dream… and there are a lot of rooms." He muttered. Kyoya adjusted his glasses and peered at the apartment.

"These rooms aren't all Aoi and Haruhi's. Most likely, they just own one room in this building." Tamaki finally snapped and turned to the hosts with a determined glint in his eyes.

"Ok, listen up everyone! We are just simply passing by, and we are not searching up the living style on the Fujioka family whatsoever! Words such as 'shabby', 'cramped', and 'run down' are absolutely forbidden!" He yelled.

"Yes sir!"

Suddenly, Honey brightened and waved at something behind Tamaki. However, before the rest of the hosts could see what the Lolita was waving at, two voices reached their ears.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

The hosts turned around to see Aoi and Haruhi, carrying plastic bags from the supermarket. Both were dressed somewhat similar, with a white jacket (Aoi's had a black pattern on it), blue top, and jeans, Aoi's being ripped at the thigh and knee while Haruhi's had a more girly pattern. Both had equally annoyed expressions on their faces.

"As we said," Haruhi started, her voice quivering with anger.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Aoi finished, shifting the bags in her arms, the annoyed expression never fading from her face. Tamaki gasped, and fell to the floor dramatically.

"No! My beloved twins are saying bad words!" He wailed. Haruhi and Aoi grumbled under their breath and walked straight through the gate together, followed by the rest of the host club and a sniffling Tamaki.

* * *

"Ok, I'll open the door and you can only see the inside for three seconds, got it?" Said Haruhi, slipping the silver key into the lock. The hosts cheered, and Honey held up a small box.

"Haru chan! Aoi chan! We brought some cake!" He chirped. Aoi glanced at her twin, who was now struggling slightly.

"Eh… Ok, maybe you guys can stay for tea…" Aoi sighed and smiled, pushing the door open. Her twin was always soft when there were sweets involved.

"I'll go prepare the tea." She called over her shoulder, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Haruhi lead the hosts into the main room. Smiling slightly, she turned to turn on the stove for water, but then there was a tap on her shoulder. An orange and yellow package appeared in front of her face, and she caught it deftly before looking at the sender.

Hikaru.

"It's black tea our father got from Africa." Aoi nodded, before flashing a small smile at the ginger haired boy.

"Arigato." She said softly. Hikaru found his face heating up slightly, and he rubbed the nape of his neck awkwardly.

"Eh.. It's best if you put it with milk. Do you have any milk around here, Aoi?" Aoi's eyes widened at her name. It was something she just couldn't get used to, being called by her name so accurately.

"Yeah, I have some. Thanks again, Hikaru." She said, turning to the small teapot on the counter. Hikaru's amber eyes widened.

_How did she know that I was Hikaru?_

"Eh.. Aoi.. Can we go anywhere around the apartment?" Aoi was only half listening to the Hitachiin twin, busy stirring the tea with the white liquid.

"Hai." Hikaru nodded once before disappearing down the hallway. After a while, Aoi finally turned around, frowning as she paused her stirring for a while.

"…What did he say again?" She muttered, before shrugging, resuming to pour the tea into cups.

"Nothing important, most likely."

* * *

"Here's tea." Aoi announced, setting the different cups onto the table. "Sorry, most of them don't match." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tamaki breath a small sigh of relief. Aoi frowned slightly. Weird guy.

"Arigato, Aoi." Haruhi said sheepishly before looking around curiously.

"Hey.. where's Hikaru?" She asked. Aoi frowned slightly, tilting her head.

_Where __**did **__he go?_

With a dismissal wave of her hand, she started down the hall.

"I'll find him. I think he went to go explore a commoner's residence." And with that, she ran down the hall. Suddenly, Aoi halted in the middle of her steps, her dark eyes widening as she saw one room's door ajar.

_Oh shit… He's in my room?!_

She ran the rest of the distance and skidded to a stop in front of the room she and Haruhi shared, and yanked the door fully open, rushing inside.

Hikaru was staring at something in his hand, his hazel eyes wide. Holding the object up, he stared questioningly at Aoi as her face paled with shock.

He was holding up her school ID card.

The one with her true gender on it.

* * *

**:O I know I'm so mean~ a cliffhanger! XD I'm sorry for any mistakes or errors in the grammer _ please forgive me~! I will update soon, working on the next chapter right now ^^**

**Ohh yeah and the disclaimer (i forgot T_T) : I do not own OHSCH or any of the characters (i wish i did... :P), only the ones that I make up (the OCs ^^)**

**Ja ne for now~ ^_^**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Hikaru ambled down the hall, curiously staring at anything he passed. The rooms were so small, the hallway cramped and creaky in certain places.

It was truly fascinating.

He glanced around, looking at the different doors. Finally, his eyes stopped on a mahogany door, and Hikaru moved towards it, hand outstretched to push the door open.

However, before he could get far, something stopped him. It was a tug, not a physical one, but one that pushed his mind back, and caused his golden eyes to stray to a white door next to the original one he intended to open. Blinking slightly, Hikaru shuffled towards the white panel of wood, obeying the tug in his mind.

His hand settled on the doorknob, but then a sense of privacy and prying washed over him. Jerking his hand from the door, he glanced at the room.

Should he really be seeing this?

Something told him that whatever was beyond that door was private, and closed off for a reason.

Something Hikaru Hitachiin's golden eyes shouldn't be seeing.

But as always, his curiosity got the best of him, and he grasped the doorknob firmly in his hand, and pushed the door open slowly, little by little. When the crack opened to a size that someone his figure can enter with limited difficulty, he stopped pressing against the door and slipped in.

The room was dimly lit, the only light coming from a crack on where the curtains covering the window didn't quite meet. When Hikaru's eyes adjusted to the dim light, he glanced around the cramped area, his eyes growing wider by the second.

This was Aoi's and Haruhi's shared bedroom.

It was simple, really─ two futons that were side by side, two desks on opposite sides of the room, both stacked with various books and papers. When he turned his head slightly, Hikaru caught sight of a drawing board with a sheet draped over it, and a small closet.

Nothing like the extravagance he and the rest of the hosts were used to.

But still... interesting.

Moving silently to one side of the room, Hikaru glanced at some of the books that was littered across one of the desks on the far right side.

_Law? _Hikaru shuffled some papers about and saw the name scrawled across a sheet of paper.

_Haruhi Fujioka_, it read. A small smile bubbled onto Hikaru's lips.

_Of course._

However, something kept on pulling Hikaru towards the drawing board. Stopping in front of it, he analyzed it with curious eyes. The sheet was crumpled, and splattered with a rainbow of colors─ obviously used much more than once. But there was no dust lingering on it, so it was definitely used recently. Grasping the sheet in his hands, he slowly tugged it off until the gray fabric collapsed into a puddle at his feet, revealing the large picture mounted on the flimsy wooden stand. Hikaru's eyes widened, staring incredulously at the painting in front of him.

It was… him.

His reflection stared back at him, unblinking, unmoving. It was copied perfectly─ the amber hair, the small, almost nonexistent smirk that seemed to plant itself on Hikaru's lips, a habit he had developed.

And it was the one difference between Hikaru and Kaoru, the one he'd never thought anyone would notice.

Hikaru stared at the signature at the bottom corner of the paper.

Aoi Fujioka.

Hastily covering the painting again, Hikaru leaned against the wall, his heart beating fast.

Aoi was certainly full of mysteries.

He didn't even know Aoi's gender for sure.

After being kicked out of the fitting room on the first day the Fujioka twins showed up at the host club, Hikaru had thought that Aoi was a girl, for certain.

But after Haruhi was revealed as a female, her twin had denied any question about gender whatsoever.

Was Aoi a boy? Or a girl, like he had once thought?

But as if to answer his question, a stray ray of light hit something white, flashing ever so slightly on the desk he hadn't touched. Moving quickly towards the source of the glow, Hikaru picked the white object up in his hand.

It was Aoi's middle school ID.

Most of the information was familiar, not exactly surprising─ Aoi's full name, birth date, and the name of the school the Fujioka twin had attended. Then he got to the little stamp that indicated the gender of the card owner.

Female.

It was as plain as day, scripted in bold letters, printed in front of Hikaru's eyes. But the shock didn't hit like he thought it would. Instead, it felt… normal. Predicted.

Expected.

The thought shocked him. Was he honestly expecting Aoi to be a girl?

Hikaru knew his thoughts were confusing, but not this confusing.

But the real shock settled in after his eyes found the picture on the plastic.

Long brown hair, almost black with side bangs, unlike Haruhi's past bangs.

A girl's uniform.

But it was no doubt that it was Aoi─ the same smirk was there, paired with the glint in her eyes. But it was fainter. She looked... almost quiet. Feminine, even. The type of girl you'd expect to study hard and yet still receive dozens of confessions everyday.

What changed her into the tomboy she was today?

And why?

However, his train of thoughts was wiped from his mind when there was a series of scuffling and a bang as the door flew open.

Aoi.

Wordlessly, he held the card up, question in his amber eyes.

Aoi's eyes widened, her complexion paled, and she sagged against the doorframe, her eyes never leaving the piece of plastic in Hikaru's hand.

Suddenly, she gave off a soft laugh, one that withheld no humor.

"You found out. About time." She whispered, but even the sarcasm was weak. Hikaru shuffled his feet.

"Yeah…"

Aoi straightened, and stared at him straight in the eye.

"Are you going to tell the other hosts?"

The forward question took Hikaru off guard, and he hesitated.

"…I don't know."

* * *

**Hello my lovlies~ Haha I know I didn't update for several days (I feel so guilty _), since school was so busy and all of that. I technically had this chapter written already, i just needed to go back and add more details and that's when I scraped bottom ^^;; So the next chapter will be up soon, but maybe not right away because school's gonna be extra chaotic this week. So please hang on, and we will meet again~!**

**Ja ne~!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

A wave of water crashed onto the bright, golden sand, palm trees surrounding the area.

_Am I dreaming…?_

"What… is…. this…"

The two Fujioka twins stared at the tropical beach in front of them.

"I-It's supposed to be winter, right? And in Japan, right? Where there are no tropics?" Haruhi asked, her eye twitching. Aoi could only nod, but Kyoya appeared behind them, smiling.

"This indoor waterpark is part of the Ootori branch, used for therapy methods." He said, his glasses glinting in the light.

"And how is this therapy…?" Aoi asked, her eyes never leaving the water in front of them.

"This is the relaxation for patients who cannot visit tropical sites." Kyoya answered. Haruhi nodded at this.

"I guess that makes sense…" She muttered. Kyoya smiled pleasantly, adjusting his glasses.

"After all, the Ootori branch is always thinking about the happiness of others."

Aoi and Haruhi exchanged glances.

_Well that sounds awfully shady…_

"It actually opens next month, but the Host club had requested today from a reservation." Kyoya confessed, looking at the pool. Mori was carrying Honey on his back as the Lolita laughed and waved, while the Hitachiin twins were throwing a beach ball around in the water.

"Where's the exit again? I have to study today… and there's a lot of chores waiting at home." Aoi grumbled.

"Eh? Why aren't the twins wearing proper swimsuits?" Kaoru asked, smirking at the Fujioka twins only to receive a slap from Tamaki.

"That is not the way you address my twins you little redhead devil!" He yelled. As Kaoru bickered with Tamaki, Hikaru glanced over to Aoi, his golden eyes filled with an unreadable expression. He hadn't revealed Aoi's secret to anyone, not even his own twin.

_Do I honestly want to earn Aoi's trust that bad?_

Shaking off his thoughts, Hikaru ambled over to Aoi before leaning in to whisper in her ear.

"Neh, Aoi. Why _aren't_ you wearing a proper swimsuit?" He asked, his voice teasing. Aoi turned bright red and glared at Hikaru.

"Urisae!"

Hikaru shrugged, grinning before skipping off. Aoi shrugged, smiling a bit.

She had really thought that the air between her and Hikaru would be awkward, and honestly, she was glad that it wasn't.

"Aoi chan! Aoi chan! Look at my swim ring! Isn't it cute?" Honey asked cheerfully, dancing around with a pink swim ring. Aoi smiled, noticing the pattern of rabbits along the tube.

"Of course it is, Honey sempai!" Honey grinned, and grasped onto her arm.

"Do you want any coconut juice? Or mango cake?" He asked, bouncing around. Aoi laughed and ruffled his blond hair.

"I'll take the coconut juice, Honey sempai." She said. Honey released her arm, smiling.

"Hai~!" And with that, he bounced off. Aoi smiled, but quickly turned around when she heard footsteps approaching.

"Aoi, let's go down the waterslide!" Hikaru called, waving. Kaoru frowned, analyzing her pullover.

"Seriously, what's with that pullover though?" He asked. Aoi looked down at her black pullover curiously.

"Hah? This?" She asked. Kaoru nodded.

"It has no sexiness whatsoever!" He complained, and both Aoi's and Hikaru's eyes widened, staring incredulously at Kaoru.

"W-What?!"

"You realize you need better attire to serve the customers, you know?"

Aoi breathed a sigh of relief. Kaoru hadn't figured out her true gender after all. Exchanging glances with Hikaru, she sent him a warning glance, receiving a small nod in return. Satisfied, Aoi turned, but was soon greeted by a sputter.

Whipping around, she saw that the sound had indeed come from Tamaki, who was being ambushed with a jet of water. The Hitachiin twins were standing a distance away, laughing while holding water guns. Hikaru stopped his gun's firing and grinned at Tamaki.

"Sir! Let's play! Water gun battle!" Hikaru called.

"Me and Hikaru on a team against you and Aoi, sir! It's a penalty game: whoever gets it in their face loses." Kaoru said after his twin. Aoi stared at him, eye twitching.

"Hah? Why me?" She asked, annoyance in her voice. Tamaki sighed, wiping his face off with a towel.

"I agree with my son on this one. I'm not playing a childish game with you." He said. Aoi nodded, but stopped when she saw the glint in the twin's eyes.

_Oh no…_

Kaoru reached out and grasped onto Haruhi, who was standing nearby.

"Haruhi! Let's get married right now!" He sang.

"We'll have our honeymoon in Atami!" Hikaru called, wrapping an arm around Haruhi's shoulders. Both Aoi and Tamaki turned around, Tamaki having rage on his face while Aoi's had pure disgust at their words. But once she saw Hikaru's arms around Haruhi, some of that contempt melted into something softer, but much harsher, something Aoi had no idea what it was. But it hurt, it hurt a lot.

Brushing it off, however, she grabbed a water gun and aimed it at the twins with a deadly light in her eyes.

"No one. Toys. With. My. Twin." She said, knives lacing each word. Tamaki also started pumping up a water gun next to the Fujioka twin.

"Do you think anyone will allow you perverts to marry my daughter?!" He yelled, and the Hitachiin twin's faces paled. Haruhi quickly ran to safety, and Aoi fired. Hikaru managed to dodge just in time before firing on his own, which Tamaki ran through. Kaoru joined, but Tamaki sheltered his face with the gun, and leapt to his side.

"Surefire sideway leaping beam!" Tamaki yelled, firing as he flew over the stone. Hikaru and Kaoru hid behind a tree as the water was shot, and Aoi ran to shoot them while they were distracted. However, a yell, thump, and bang caused her to stop dead in her tracks.

"What?" She asked, and turned around to see Tamaki sprawled over the grass, a tower of totems in front of him. As she watched, the totem's eyes sprang to a bright red, one by one, followed by an electric drone.

_W-What's going on?!_

Suddenly, there was the sound of rushed footsteps, and Aoi swiveled around to see Mori leaping up, running to the pool where Honey was currently swimming. Looking towards the pool, Aoi could see the point of Mori's worry.

A huge wave was descending over Honey.

* * *

**Hello my lovlies~! I'm so sorry for not being able to update in a while.. I had several tests and then I caught this fever that was going around (Thanks bff... I thought you liked me T_T) so I was a little preoccupied :p I promise next update will be up soon, so please hang in there! **

**And thank you for all your reviews and love already! And SmolderingBlackRose and xxrxuxsxtxyx, thank you thank you for your reviews for all of my updates ^_^ and for all the others that gave me so much love in your reviews, you know who you are! *points to every reviewer* I love you all~! *hugs* :3**

**Ja ne for now~3**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Remind me again why we're going this way…" Aoi grumbled, looking around at the thick jungle surrounding the host club. Tamaki thrust a fist into the air, his blue eyes determined.

"We are on a survival mission to save Honey sempai, and penetrate the jungle to do so!" He yelled. But Aoi just brushed past him, with Haruhi at her side.

"Hai, hai, sempai." The two girls muttered. Tamaki immediately began sulking, but Hikaru and Kaoru dragged him back up.

"These animal voices…" Hikaru said, looking at Kyoya accusingly.

"Can't be real, right?" Kaoru finished, shooting an equally disbelieving look at the shadow king. Kyoya seemed to take the question into thought, his glasses glinting.

"I'm too sure. In all of the work we do, the Ootori branch is always authenticity-oriented." Kyoya prompted. Aoi just stared ahead, not bothering to turn around at the mindless bickering the Hitachiin twins and Tamaki were carrying out.

However, a low thud caused the tomboy to whip around, and her eyes immediately widened as she did.

"M-Mori sempai?!" Mori was on the ground, a banana peel covering his face. Judging from the way he was sprawled on the ground, Aoi guessed that he had tripped. The Hitachiin twins gasped dramatically, and immediately began whispering loudly to each other.

"Mori sempai…" Hikaru said.

"Is acting just as clumsy as you, sir…" Kaoru finished, looking equally shocked. Tamaki glared at the red headed twins.

"What?! You take that back!" Aoi and Haruhi glanced at each other, perfectly reading each other's brown eyes.

_Sure enough, he's pretty worried…_

Suddenly, a drop of cold water hit the back of Aoi's head and she rapidly turned her eyes to the sky, only to be greeted by ominous gray clouds. She looked at Kyoya frantically for an explanation. The raven haired boy just looked at his watch.

"Oh. It must be squalling time."

* * *

Aoi stared at the heavy rain outside the small hut the host club had taken shelter under. She faintly heard her twin ask about the relation of Mori and Honey, but at that moment the tomboy couldn't care less.

_Is Honey sempai okay?_ Resting her chin on her pale hands, Aoi blinked the rain from her eyes.

_No point in worrying about him. _She sighed, but remained in the same position. After a short while, her eyelids started to drop shut, but she was quickly jolted from a shake from Hikaru.

"Oi, Aoi, are you ok?" Aoi blinked once, straightening from her position before narrowing her eyes, ignoring the worried light in Hikaru's eyes.

"Where's my twin?" She asked, her voice flat. Hikaru looked around, and frowned.

"I don't know… And Mori sempai is gone too…" Hikaru started to say, but a clatter of footsteps caused his words to stop. His eyes widened as he saw Aoi running out in the rain, and immediately started to run after her.

"Oi, where are you going?!" He reached out and grasped the sleeve of her sweatshirt, but Aoi just continued walking, and the fabric slipped from Hikaru's hand. She turned around briefly, however.

"Hikaru kun, if it was Kaoru who was somewhere in this forest facing the who-knows-what dangers that are lurking around the jungle, wouldn't you go and look for him too?" With that, she disappeared into the jungle, with Hikaru standing in the rain.

_So that's what it's about…_ He thought, and jerked out of his thoughts, running after Aoi.

"Oi! Aoi! I'll come too!"

* * *

Aoi turned around at the sound of footsteps. However, the movement caused her foot to slip, and her eyes widened as she started to fall into the ditch in front of her.

"Aoi!" A hand reached out and grabbed onto her outstretched hand, and Aoi felt herself being yanked back to safety. Her head hit the ground hard, and she winced in pain. She tried to get up, but there was a weight constricting her.

_Wh-What?_

* * *

Hikaru ran through the greenery, just in time to see Aoi start to fall. Without thinking, he reached out with panicked eyes, and grasped her outstretched hand.

However, he misjudged her weight, and tugged a little too hard.

Aoi crashed into him, and before he knew it he was on his elbows, facing the dirt.

"O-Ow…" He muttered squeezing his eyes shut, but a timid tap on his arm brought him back to reality. Aoi stared back at him, her brown eyes wide. Hikaru felt his face flushing.

He was _on top _of her.

His right hand was still connected to hers with a vise-like grip.

Their legs were tangled together.

Their faces were only inches apart.

Just _how _did it turn like this?

* * *

**Omg my lovelies I'm so sorry I didn't update for a while... School was hectic (as usual... the teachers are trying to kill us with exams!) and there was so much drama with my friends lately :p So please be patient with me, and I hope to see your support on this story~! Thank you so much to those who reviewed/followed/favorited! I love you all~!**

**Ja ne~!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Awkward silence filled the humid air as Hikaru stared at Aoi with wide eyes, ignoring the cramped pain that was spiking up his arm.

"Hikaru?" Aoi asked, her eyes wide with question. Hikaru took this as a sign and attempted to stand, wobbling to his feet. There was a small noise of shuffling, and soon, muted footsteps sounded behind him.

"Hikaru? Daijobu?" Aoi's voice came up behind Hikaru, and he flushed. Meeting the naught curiosity in Aoi's eyes, Hikaru allowed himself a silent breath of relief.

_So she really is that oblivious…_

Hikaru smirked at her, and held out his hand.

"Milady?" He asked. Aoi face turned into a mixture of shock and anger, her face flushing.

"Wh-What?" She sputtered. Hikaru grinned, and caught her elbow, leading her around the ditch that she almost fell into.

"Don't fall in again." Hikaru said, amusement in his voice. Aoi fixated the sky above them with a deadpan look, huffing in annoyance.

"I won't. I'm not as clumsy as you, crashing into me like that." She muttered, and Hikaru grinned.

The old Aoi was back. That was good, at least.

Hikaru glanced sideways at Aoi, who was walking next to him with her usual poker face, but he could tell that she was worried for her twin.

_Figures._ Hikaru yawned and placed his hands behind his head, but quickly pulled them back down.

There was a noise, coming from the clearing, about 100 meters away.

It was a scream.

Or rather, a small cry for help.

Aoi immediately broke into a run, zipping past Hikaru. The boy blinked, and turned to face the disappearing backside of Aoi, startled.

"Aoi!" He too, started running.

_Shit. _Hikaru's eyes widened as Aoi swerved to the side to narrowly miss a hanging branch. _Aoi… she's running too recklessly!_

"Aoi!" He yelled out, but the girl made no move to show him that she heard.

"Aoi!" He tried again, but Aoi was going too fast to hear him, or just simply ignoring him. Hikaru clenched his jaw, and applied more speed as he started sprinting towards Aoi's speeding figure.

"Aoi! Listen… to… me!" He panted out, and lunged forwards.

His fingers closed around Aoi's hand, and he stopped abruptly, causing Aoi to crash to the dirt. She immediately jumped up again, and turned to start running towards the clearing, but Hikaru stubbornly held on, trying to catch his breath.

"Aoi… please… stop…" Aoi turned back, her eyes wide.

"That scream was Haruhi's! It was Haruhi! I know it!" She yelled, and tried to untangle her hand from Hikaru's but failed.

"Aoi… at least… don't run so recklessly." Hikaru panted, bending over. Aoi blinked once, her eyes widening.

_So… that's… what all that was about? Worry?_

She untangled her fingers from Hikaru's hand, and turned towards the Hitachiin twin. Her face was void of emotion, as usual, but her eyes held a hint of amusement; a soft light.

"Daijobu. But now, I have to find my twin."

* * *

**Hello my lovlies~! I'm so sorry for abandoning you for a week T_T I had writer's block while I was writing this, so it isn't top notch, I apologize ;~;**

**Please read and review, and thank you to all the readers who subscribed/favorited/reviewed ^^ Arigatou, and I'll see you next time~!**

**P.S. I'm thinking of creating an Shingeki No Kyojin (Attack on Titan) fanfic... what do you think? Should I or should I not? Please tell me! :3 (And if you didn't watch the anime, you HAVE to watch it... It's amazing, even though it can get a little bloody, just a warning ^^)**

**Ja ne, all my lovely readers~!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Haruhi!" Aoi burst though the plants growing around the clearing, but stopped short, her eyes wide as her line of sight met with the point of a gun.

"Freeze, or else we will be forced to succumb to force!" The wielder of the weapon shouted. Aoi narrowed her eyes, studying her opponent. He was dressed in black body armor, a helmet covering his face. Her eyes darted around the man, and she spied Mori carrying Haruhi, who looked deathly pale. They were too, surrounded by the strange men in black.

"Who are you?!" The man yelled again.

Aoi clenched her jaw. Haruhi looked so frightened. The men must have done something to her. Maybe even this bitch in front of her.

"You bitch." She growled, and crouched down into a fighting stance, ready to charge. Just as her right foot left the ground, she felt a tug push her back and send her sprawling, once again, to the dirt.

Sitting up quickly, she saw Hikaru standing over her, his arms spread protectively, back facing her.

"Don't hurt Aoi." His voice was low; menacing, even. Aoi stared in a mixture of awe and shock. When did Hikaru gain so much courage?

The man with the gun shifted, lifting his weapon. Aoi's eyes widened, and she started to scramble to her feet.

"Dame!" She screamed, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The man dropped his gun, falling face-first into the dirt. A small boy stood behind him, blond hair gleaming in the light.

"Honey sempai?!" She sputtered, startled as Honey started attacking the other men, kicking, punching, and clawing at any opponent that came his way with undeniable speed and accuracy. Hikaru immediately knelt down next to her, his amber eyes wide.

"Aoi, that person had a gun. You could have been killed! What were you thinking?!" He yelled. Aoi glared at him with narrowed eyes, but she couldn't form words to shoot a defense.

Hikaru sighed, and wordlessly held out a hand to Aoi. She stared at it in shock, and Hikaru glanced down at her, a small tinge spread on his face.

"Well? Don't you want to stand up?" He muttered. Aoi took his hand, and jumped to her feet. At that moment, a small spark of realization overtook Aoi, and she started running past Hikaru.

"Haruhi!" Her twin was still staring at Honey as another man in black flew over her head, landing in the bushes. However, Aoi ignored this, and grabbed her twin by the shoulders.

"Haruhi? Are you ok?!" Haruhi snapped to her senses, and grinned.

"I'm fine!" At that moment, Haruhi's bright smile contorted into a look of shock as she turned around rigidly, staring at the circle of the men that Honey had knocked out. Honey aimed a bone-crushing blow to the last man's jaw, and the man crumpled to the jungle floor.

Aoi's eyes were wide, her right eye twitching involuntarily from astonishment. Honey turned around, his eyes wide and bright as he pointed at the deformed circle of men.

"Picking on my friends is a no-no!" He cried.

Aoi's mouth was agape, and a quick glance to her left told her that Haruhi held the same expression. It was obvious the Fujioka twins were thinking the same thing.

_Th-That little pipsqueak had so much power?!_

* * *

**Omg I'm so sorry for abandoning you guys for so long (I feel like I'm saying that a lot now days... hng. T^T) but there was so much drama and stress going on at school now days... its so chaotic! Well my lovelies~ I hope you like this chappie~ (And yes, Honey shows his badass side :3)**

**And remember I asked you about that AOT fic? Weeeeell I decided to work on it so (Warning: shameless advertising) here it is! /gives you link/ ** s/9755244/1/Fight-To-Win** (And another warning: It is rated T for both violence and language ONLY :DD just a heads up ^^) And yes~ The fic is an OC fic (And it includes my darling Levi who will soon make his entrance :3)**

**Thank you so much guys for all your reviews and love for this story 3 And remember: Every review counts, so please dont be shy! Review please 3 ^^**

**Love you all!**

**Ja ne~!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

Aoi was tired. Beyond tired.

She had way too many guests, forced to smile and sip tea.

One will never know how exhausting that job is.

So of course, Aoi fell asleep after the session for the day. Sleeping was her way of escaping from reality, from all those fangirls. So of course, Aoi loved every single minute of rest she could claim.

So she wasn't especially happy when she was woken up from her slumber.

By a group of obnoxiously familiar voices.

"Aoi kun!"

Aoi growled internally, still half asleep. That damn Tamaki…

Without opening her eyes, she grabbed the nearest object her wandering hand could find─ which happened to be Haruhi's pencil case, and threw it over her head. Haruhi made a noise of surprise as the pencil box flew through the air, and landed on a target with a satisfying _crack_. Aoi gave a small smirk of elation as Tamaki howled in pain.

"Aoi, that's not nice!" One of the redhead Hitachiin twins spoke. Kaoru. Aoi's thoughts immediately darkened again, the small moment of glee vanquished.

Her fingers twitched for another item to throw, and her hand began inching towards the textbook that was serving as a pillow.

_Just one good shot and he'll be quiet._

Just when Aoi's fingers were about to close around the spine of the book, a voice sounded next to her.

_Right next to her._

"Aoi, wake up~" A shiver of surprise ran down her spine, and the last of her drowsiness vanished. She shot out of her chair, but the momentum caused her to crash to the marble floor. She frantically looked up, only to see Hikaru smirking down at her. Aoi's fist clenched, and she gritted her teeth.

"Damn you Hi-"

"My son! Are you ok?!" Tamaki's voice was full of dramatic worry and agony, and Aoi's eyes twitched as Haruhi helped her up.

"I'm fine!"

_Don't call me son… I'm a girl! _Aoi wanted to scream. But she held her tongue, sufficing to glare at the three hosts that woke her up. The twins shuffled nervously under her stare, but Tamaki remained oblivious, his blue eyes twinkling with excitement.

"We are going to the beach!" He announced dramatically. The Hitachiin twins also seemed to have regained their demeanor, and nodded enthusiastically, matching smirks on their faces.

Aoi exchanged aghast looks with her twin.

_What…_

_The…_

"Fuck."

* * *

Aoi sat down on the beach towel with a huff of annoyance, staring at the blue sea stretching beyond her eyes. The sun shone brightly, making the golden sand hot, but not unbearable. The tomboy fidgeted with her black hoodie and cargo shorts, beads of sweat running down her brow.

_Damn it… It's so hot._

She sighed, and flopped onto the towel, her back hitting the rough fabric. Twisting one hand over her forehead, she closed her eyes.

"Aoi kun!"

Aoi wanted to release a string of curses at the moment in all the languages she ever knew.

_Those people…_

Instead, she opened one eye, and her vision pointed out three girls, all looking at her with somewhat of a flustered expressions. They were all dressed in swimsuits, pastel everywhere. She recognized them as the regular customers that always requested both her and Haruhi.

"Yes?" She said, a little harsher than she meant to. But the girls didn't notice, instead flushing a brighter shade of red, and piped up with nervous little questions.

"Um… Aoi kun isn't swimming?"

_No, I'm actually in an invisible pool of water right now and swimming my life out instead of sitting here on the perfectly dry sand._

"Not today, Aiko chan."

"Aoi kun, doesn't it get boring?"

_I was sleeping, but you decided to interrupt me with your little questions._

"No, it actually is quite calming, Koko chan."

"Aoi kun, mind if we sit with you?"

_Yes, yes I do mind. I want to SLEEP, not CHAT._

"Why Emiko chan? You're all wearing such pretty swimsuits; you should go and play in the sea, not sit here with me."

The girls all flushed, and Aiko spoke up in a voice an octave higher than usual.

"Arigatou, Aoi kun!"

The three girls disappeared, running off. Aoi smirked, and dropped her head back onto the sand.

_Finally… Peace._

"But sir! If you invited all the guests here then we can't see Haruhi in a swimsuit!"

_Not._

Aoi sat up, rubbing her forehead. There was no use in sleep now, she couldn't get any if she was interrupted every five seconds.

Looking up with bleary eyes, she saw the Hitachiin twins complain to Tamaki, both of them in a heated argument. Haruhi was with Honey and Mori at the cove, collecting some sort of shellfish. The guests were laughing and running around, occasionally stopping by each host to see their activities. The sun was setting, the orange and pink rays casting dramatic shadows over everything.

Normal, normal, and normal.

Nothing she should be concerned in.

Until she heard the scream.

Aoi shot to her feet immediately, and started sprinting towards the source of the scream, the cliff overlooking the sea. As she ran, she looked around for any other hosts, anyone that could help her and whoever uttered that cry. But for once, all the hosts were nowhere to be seen.

_Great timing, _She thought bitterly, but didn't stop running until she reached the base of the clip. Without wasting another second, she scaled the rock, clambering up the rough stone steps.

Aoi crouched down, surveying the scene with wide eyes. The three girls that she had been talking to earlier, Aiko, Koko, and Emiko, were surrounded by three older males with straggly appearances. Even from this distance, Aoi could smell the reek of alcohol.

The tomboy mentally released a rage when she found her hands empty. She had come unarmed, what a joke. Grabbing a pebble the size or her index finger, she brought her arm back and hurled it towards the thug closest to her, the one that was wrapping his arms around Aiko and Emiko.

The rock landed with a solid crack, and the guy dropped to the ground. His two friends looked around with slurred movements, looking for Aoi. Emiko spotted her, and cried out in fear.

"Aoi kun!" Aoi flashed a reassuring smirk in her direction, and faced the other two guys, who were advancing towards her. Her fingers twitched; there was nothing else she could use as a weapon now.

However, she raised her chin, staring head-on at the two guys.

"They don't want your company. Get lost."

Thug #1 leered at her, and Aoi felt a rush of fear run through her body. She turned towards the girls, motioning for them to run. And they did.

Turning her stare back on Thug #1 and Thug #2, she hardened her gaze.

"Looks like you really want to get beat into shit, little one." Thug #2 sneered, but Aoi didn't answer.

_Yep. I'm screwed._

* * *

**Omg I'm so sorry for neglecting this story for so long! ;A; I did as some requested, and did a slightly longer chapter (I hope it is) :DD**

**Thank you thank you for all of your support (I'm so happy :')) I mean, do I even deserve all of you? ^^**

**So thank you for acting with enthusiasm to every chapter even though my updates are quite late, I really do appreciate it :D And THANK YOU for reviewing/favoriting/following this fanfiction :3**

**So please, if you are a new or frequent reader, don't be shy to tell me what you think! I'm welcome to all comments :DD**

**Thank you mina sannnnn!**

**Ja ne~**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Hikaru and Kaoru sat on the edge of a rock wall, staring over at the horizon, bored.

"Neh, Kaoru."

"Yes?"

"Do you think they're afraid of _anything?_"

Kaoru glanced at his twin curiously.

"You mean the Fujioka twins?" He asked after a beat of silence.

"Who else?"

Kaoru put his chin in his hands, twisting his lips into the slightest of a frown as he stared at the sand.

"That fear test game was boring…" He whined in response.

"Yeah," Hikaru replied, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"We tried with Haruhi... that was such a failure." Kaoru sighed, remembering trying all the tactics to scare the Fujioka twin, going from paranormal terror to a closed, dark space terror test to a tactic of sharp point terror. He felt a stabbing feeling of idiocy, looking at all of their failed plans, starting to mope. Hikaru started to create his own cloud of doom too, letting out a long sigh.

"And we never even got the pictures for the reward," Hikaru complained, the glimpse of Haruhi in middle school popping to his mind. But the excitement vanished as soon as it came, and he only felt a sense of boredom. Did he really lose interest in those pictures that fast?

"Then it's Aoi's turn, right?" Kaoru's question pulled Hikaru from his state of thinking.

"Yeah… Do you think, considering that we failed with Haruhi, that we can actually succeed with Aoi, and find something that's actually a weakness?" Hikaru mused, scowling at his feet. Kaoru laughed lightly in response.

"Aoi_ is_ a boy. I think he'll be even harder to get." He replied. Hikaru twitched nervously at the word "boy".

_Aoi… she's not…_

The twins settled back into a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly, a cry from behind them jolted them out of their stupor. The Hitachiin twins turned around, matching looks of puzzlement written over each other's faces as they stared at Tamaki, who was digging something in the dirt.

"Sir?"

"What are you doing?" Tamaki turned around, an excited light in his blue eyes as he dramatically held up a bucket. The twins cautiously peered over the rim, only to be met with the sight of dozens of snakes, all hissing and writhing in their prison.

"Rat snakes!" Tamaki exclaimed proudly. "With this much of them, it has to be scary for Haruhi, right?"

Hikaru stared at Tamaki with a look as one would give to a rather stupid child, grimacing slightly.

"Anyone would find that unpleasant. It's not exactly a weakness." He muttered. Kaoru, however, stared at the bucket with a puzzled expression, gazing at the snakes with a cautious eye.

"Then again, does Okinawa even have rat snakes…?"

Not a minute later, the Hitachiin twins had jumped to their feet, running as fast as they can from Tamaki.

"Habu snakes! Those are _Habu snakes_, sir!" They cried out in unison, their eyes full of comical panic. Tamaki chased after them, holding the bucket like it could detonate in a second.

"What do I do?!" The blond looked close to tears. Suddenly, the trio stopped running, their attention focused on a group of four figures running towards them. Tamaki looked up, his gaze settling softly on the last person to come to a halt.

"Haruhi?" The said girl was surrounded by three of the regular guests, all panting and breathless, as if they had taken a long run.

"Tamaki senpai!" Haruhi cried, bending over, panting heavily, Tamaki ran to her side, the bucket of snakes forgotten.

Haruhi looked up, her brown eyes wide and panicked, sweat beaded on her brow.

"It's Aoi!"

* * *

Aoi struggled, her jaw clenched, eyes wide as Thug #2 dragged her up by the collar, pushing her towards the edge of the clip. His friend was sprawled on the rock, unconscious, a bruise welling up on his temple.

The girl futilely dug her heels into the rock, but her motion was useless now. She bit her lip from crying out in pain as she felt the ragged stone penetrate the flesh on her heel, blood now seeping over her foot as her sandals slipped.

Anger was prominent on her face, and she lifted one foot up, throwing one final effort into the kick that was aimed at the male's stomach, earning a yelp of pain and a stumble from the force.

It wasn't enough, the flames of raging anger only growing in the man's eyes.

_Oops._

There was a sharp pain on her right cheek, a line of white hot fire tracing her cheekbone. Red ran down her pale face, and her shaking vision found the shard of glass in the thug's hand.

Shit.

She clawed at the man's hands, whose grasp was tight on the collar of her hoodie, dragging her further and further into open air. She thrashed, a thrill of fear running through her as her left foot dangled over the edge.

_No!_

She raised her fist to aim one last punch at the man's jaw, but something stopped her.

"Aoi!"

That voice.

"Aoi!"

Hikaru.

Her fist dropped in midair, her brown eyes wide and trembling. Hikaru appeared over the cliff, stumbling and panting from the run, but his amber eyes were fixated on her. On impulse, she opened her mouth to call his name.

"Hika─"

The air was sucked from her lungs, and her eyes widened, pain flaring in her stomach, where she was punched. The man glowered down at her with hate filled eyes, taking her weakness as a gate to push her further out into open air.

"Stop trying to act so tough, you sissy boy," He snarled.

"Kid, just go swimming in the ocean!" And with that, Aoi felt a rush of wind, and suddenly, she wasn't standing, but flying in midair. The cliff was beyond her reach now, and her eyes widened as her back tilted towards the water, and she started to drop.

Her vision blurred, her surroundings swirling into a mess of colors.

_"Aoi!"_

She hit the water like a rock, every muscle in her body screaming out in protest as the lukewarm waves consumed her. The water turned colder and colder as she sunk, freezing the girl to the bone. She instinctively opened her numbing lips to scream, but choked on the salty water instead.

Her eyes stung with the seawater, gradually blurring her vision. Her limbs felt dull; heavy and robotic. She was blacking out; she could feel the nausea overcoming her. The last thing she felt was a pair of arms wrapping frantically around her.

_All I wanted to do was sleep._

And with that, everything turned dark.

* * *

_"So… we'll never see kaasan again?" Asked a tearful Haruhi. Aoi stared at the funeral house, the girl's eyes becoming heavy with remorse._

_Aoi tightened her grip around her father's hand, and Ryouji looked down with tearstained eyes, expecting his daughter to burst into tears, as Haruhi had done earlier. But Aoi only gave her father a small smile._

_"Papa, daijobu. We'll be fine, even without kaasan, right, Haruhi?" 5 year old Aoi stared at her sniffling twin with a pointed expression. Haruhi understood, and did the only thing the 5 year old knew for comforting others; she hugged their father around the knees (the highest point which she could have reached) with a shaky smile._

_"Aoi chan is right, papa." Haruhi's voice was shaky, but defiant._

_Aoi cast her eyes over the funeral house once more, eyeing the shrouded black once more before pulling her scarf up a little higher to spare herself from the cold, and looked up to her father._

_It seemed as if Aoi had matured into a full grown girl in a matter of days after their mother died, her eyes lost their childlike brightness, narrowing and stripped of emotions. She hardly laughed or smiled the few days after her mother's funeral, sufficing to put her gloom into work, with her grieving twin by her side._

_She didn't try crying after the funeral, she didn't try to press her depression. Aoi wasn't heartless, but her mother's death had rather opened her eyes to a harsher world, one called reality._

_A few relatives and close family friends had feebly whispered their deepest sympathy, all which Aoi had answered to with dead eyes, allowing her sister to be the polite one and thank the grievers._

_They had solemnly murmured their condolences, that they were sorry that their mother was lost. But she wasn't lost. Aoi wouldn't find her anywhere if she looked, she wouldn't find her in Japan or China or America or anywhere else in the world._

_She was gone. Reality showed her that._

_Reality showed her that dead was dead, no matter how you put it._

* * *

**Hello all my lovlies! :3 I hope this was a fast enough update xD It basically shows what Aoi went through as a child, and a little Tamaki x Haruhi if ya squint ;) I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing this! ^^**

**Ackkkk I would have published this much sooner (Like a double update) but then my mouse had to go berserk on me and fail... xD**

**Thank you for all the support (even though I'm such a bad updater and never update in time ;~;) and love that you've given to me and this story, I am soooo thankful for the best followers/reviewers/favoriters in the entire world 3333**

**Please continue to support this story, I am forever grateful to all of you to the wonderful comments and helpful reviews you had left, to boost my self esteem every time I get a new notification from this story, you have no idea of how much of an idiotic smile I have every time :DD**

**So thank you mina san! I'll see all of you wonderful people at the next update!**

**Ja ne~!**


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